School Room

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We Are Moving

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The Best Mother’s Day Gift

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Corinne’s Monthly Updates

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Corinne – Two Months

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Corinne – One Month

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Siblings

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Pregnancy Update

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Painted Easter Eggs

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Our Family is Growing!

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Favorites

Bathtime Favorites

August 13, 2015

1. Skip Hop Dunks: These bath toys are fun for little ones to explore the water; Cullen sill loves to play with them. And we use them for hair and body rinsing for both kids.

2. Safety First Bathtub: I’m going to be honest, if you are short on space, this is probably not the best tub for you. But is works great for us. I love that it looks like a miniature bathtub! Cute goes a long way with me. And the infant insert that can be used facing two different directions is a really nice feature. Having Colette face me instead of laying perpendicular to me makes bathing her and interacting with her a lot easier, which is super important when your little one hates baths.

3. Circo Newborn Towels: Cullen has pretty much outgrown hooded towels at this point, but these are our favorite towels for Colette (and were our favorite for Cullen when he was a little younger.) They come in so many cute animals and are basically the cutest ever wrapped around a little one.

4. Crayola Bath Dropz: This may be the best seven dollars I’ve ever spent. Every single night, without exception, Cullen asks for a “color bath”. We have not had to coerce him into taking a bath once since purchasing these. These are primary color tablets that you drop in the water to change the color of the bath water. They don’t stain the tub, or your child, and because they can be combined to make secondary colors, they are a great way to introduce the idea of combining colors to make new colors.

5. Boon Flo: Love this spout cover! We used it with Cullen as well. I really like the bubble bath reservoir that adds bubble bath to the water with the push of a button. I’m probably the only one, but I have always had a hard time getting a tub full of suds when I pour bubble bath straight from the faucet.

6. Babyganics: These are the only baby-cleaning products we have ever used. I love that they are fragrence-free, baby-safe, and made from plant-based ingredients (and not quite as pricey as some similar brands.)

Monthly Update

Colette: Three Months

July 30, 2015
Part of me feels like these three months have flown by. Another part of me feels like Colette has always been with us; I can’t imagine our family without her!
I am estimating that three-month-old Colette weighs about nine pounds now meaning she has finally caught up to where Cullen was at birth. She is almost exclusively in 0-3 month clothes. (Still wearing some newborn shorts; for some reason they all seem to run big.) Her not-so-little leg rolls and double chin make it hard to remember how fragile she seemed when she was born. But she is still eating ALL DAY LONG, so I’m not surprised!

Colette loves: being outside, staring at bold patterns, sitting and standing, eating, and Cullen. Seriously, these two love each other more than I could have ever imagined. I can’t get enough of seeing them together. Cullen can make her smile faster than anyone else; it is the sweetest and I can’t wait to see their relationship grow.

Colette hates: water (though she will tolerate a quick bath now), tummy time, and having anything in her diaper. I can’t really blame her for that last one, but holy cow can we go through some diapers. 
Other than these few things that she strongly dislikes, she is a very happy baby. She still sleeps about six hours at night (Woohoo!) and takes two longer naps and a few little cat naps during the day. On the somewhat rare occasion that she is awake and not eating, we like to kick and play on her baby gym, make funny faces (she especially loves winking), and people watch. She is happiest when we let her sit facing out so she can watch everything around her.

Happy Three Months, Colette! We love you, sweet girl!
Baby #2 Monthly Update

Colette: Two Months

June 24, 2015
Our Little Colette is now two months old and growing like a weed! She is now 7 lbs 6 oz and 20.75 inches long. That means she is actually on the growth chart for weight (over the 3rd percentile)! She is finally in newborn diapers and is filling out her newborn size clothes. I love the double chin and leg rolls she is sporting these days! 
Colette is still a great eater, those rolls are proof! She is still a really good sleeper too. She usually gives us at least a five hour stretch of sleep every night, which is greatly appreciated by everyone else in the house!
She still sleeps a lot, but it seems we are getting past the super sleepy newborn stage. We are getting to enjoy longer and longer stretches of time with an awake and alert Colette. She is also starting to interact with us a lot more. She loves watching Cullen and seems to really enjoy when he lays down really close to her face. Big smiles and silly noises almost always earn us a sweet smile from our little girl. She is also getting really good at controlling her head when she holds it up and is already flexing like she is trying to sit up. (I remember Cullen doing that a while before he could actually sit up too.)
 
I feel like I can officially say that she will have red hair and blue eyes like Cullen. It was hard to tell at first, but her hair seems to get more and more red every day. I am beyond excited to dress another red-headed little baby!
These first two months as a family of four have been a blast. I can’t wait to see what the next few months hold for us as Colette continues to grow and develop her own little personality!
Favorites

Newborn Favorites

June 16, 2015
After almost two months, I feel like I have a good handle on what products do and don’t work for us (especially since this is our second time around). Every baby is different, butI love seeing what other moms like using, so I thought I would share some of my favorite products for the newborn stage with you.
1. Nursing Happens Infinity Breastfeeding Scarf: I love this so much more than traditional nursing covers. Its so much easier to carry with us (I can wear it as a scarf!) and it doesn’t exactly scream “I’m nursing a baby over here!”
2. aden + anais Burpy Bib: These are the best burp cloths. They are big enough to actually cover your entire shoulder and are super absorbent. Bonus: they have these handy little snaps that turn it into a bib when needed down the line.
3. Solly Baby Wrap: I have used several different wraps and this one is by far my favorite. I carry Colette around in this wrap just about every time I leave the house. And I’ve used it quite a few times when housework needs to be done. I love that I can just throw it down in her diaper bag to have with me at all times. And it comes in such cute colors and patterns!
4. Newborn Leggings: These leggings from Target are perfect for a little girl. They come in so many colors and patterns. Most of Colette’s outfits are these leggings under a onesie. 
5. Flanders Buttocks Ointment: My mom used this diaper cream when we were little, so we have sworn by this for years. It will heal even the worst diaper rashes in no time. It’s not a prescription, but I have only found it behind the counter at the Target pharmacy.
6. Boppy: I’m using the same Boppy that I used with Cullen, but this time, I got this adorable donut cover from Target. It makes long nursing sessions a little more fun! I also have (and really like) the My Brest Friend nursing pillow, which is far superior for back support. But I love that the Boppy is so much more versatile. With both of my babies, we had trouble breastfeeding for the first few weeks and I had to pump and bottle feed expressed milk. It was quickest to prop them in the Boppy and bottle feed while I pumped. It can also be used during tummy time and when they are learning to sit. I feel like I get more for my money with this pillow.
7. Comotomo bottles: Even tiny Colette has done great drinking from these bottles. The nipple and feel of the bottle are made to mimic breastfeeding. And the soft, squishable bottle is super easy to clean, no bottle brush needed!
8. aden + anais Swaddle: We still swaddle Colette to sleep every night, and these are our favorite swaddle blankets. They are super soft and breathable and big enough to last as Colette grows. They also make great nursing covers and play mats. I make sure we have one of these with us at all times.
And yes, EVERYTHING is pink now. But that just comes with the territory of having a girl. Have you used any of these? What are some of your favorite products for newborns?
summer

Summer Bucket List

June 11, 2015
Since I’m out on maternity leave and will have lots of extra time with the littles, I’m hoping to take advantage of everything summer has to offer. Here are some things we hope to do over the next few months.
1. Grow some vegetables – mini garden style. 
2. Spend as much time playing in the pool and sprinkler as possible.
3. Eat dinner outside often.
4. Host our 2nd annual 4th of July cook-out.
5. Picnic in the park.
6. Visit the zoo.
7. “Camp out” inside.
8. Catch lightning bugs.
9. Make homemade popsicles and ice cream.
10. Go to the beach at least once.
11. Visit our favorite sno cone stand a lot!
12. Slow down and enjoy every minute of this summer!

What fun things do you have planned for summer?
Baby #2 Monthly Update

Colette: One Month

June 4, 2015
At one month old, Colette weighs 5 lbs 9 oz and is 19.75 inches long. That means she is still < 1% for weight and only in the fourth percentile for height. Tiny girl is not even on the growth chart. But, like in the womb she is growing at the appropriate rate, just on her own tiny growth curve.
Colette is just now really fitting into newborn clothes and is still wearing premie diapers. Sidenote: they really should sell premie diapers in packages larger than 27 or 30!  She was only able to wear premie clothes for a short while because she was longer than premie size, but newborn clothes have been huge on her. As she is chunking up a little bit (we are starting to see a double chin!) she is filling out her newborn clothes and looking less like they swallowed her whole.
She has really been a great sleeper from the start. She has no problem going to sleep on her own at night and only waking up every three to four hours to eat. Right now she is sleeping in a bassinet next to our bed. I think we will move her to the crib in her room when I go back to work. During the day, she is still in that sleepy newborn stage, but has longer and longer awake periods every day. Unlike at night, she really wants to be held all day long. She doesn’t really like to be put down and wakes up if she is (and when she is laying down, she wants to be on her side). I’m glad she is only like that during the day and not at night. And let’s face it, I would rather hold her than do housework anyway!
Like with Cullen in the early days, breastfeeding has been our struggle. Because of her size and being born a few weeks early, Colette has had some trouble with latching and nursing (I’m sure I’ll share more details in another post later.) Over the past month we have gone from pumping, bottle feeding, and supplementing with formula to nearly exclusively nursing. And she would probably eat all day long if I would let her. We are all really pleased (and surprised!) with how well she is doing!
It seems like Colette is going to be a pretty quiet and laid-back little one. At this point the only really sense of her personality we have other than her easy-going demeanor, are the faces she makes. She has some pretty expressive eyebrows that keep us laughing and really make me wonder what she is thinking. She can give the side-eye with the best of them! 

As proof that she is not always so angelic, here is an outtake from our mini photo shoot. Sorry little girl, you are going to have to get used to those bows!
It feels like Colette has been in our lives forever, but this month has flown by. I love this snuggly newborn stage and wish they didn’t grow up so fast, but I can’t wait for smiles and giggles, playtime, and learning everything about who this tiny girl will be!
Baby #2 Photography

Colette’s Newborn Photos

June 2, 2015

A little over a week after Colette was born, we had our friend Elizabeth Testa come take some newborn pictures of Colette and some pictures of our new family of four. As always she did a great job and I love every single picture! Here are a few of my favorites. I can’t wait to frame some of these!

Baby #2

Colette’s Birth Story

May 12, 2015

We had the c-section scheduled for 8:30 so we got to the hospital at 6:00 that Thursday morning. We took Cullen in his pajamas and met our parents there when I checked in. The nurses started prepping me for surgery right away and before I even realized we were ready to go. We also took this time to play with Cullen a little, talk about what it means to be a big brother, and let him open his big brother gift.

As soon as the doctor arrived, a little after 8, we left our families and they wheeled me back to the operating room. Corey donned his scrubs and waited in the “dad” room while the anesthesiologist put in the spinal. I knew everything that was going to happen since I’d been through the exact same process with Cullen’s birth. But I was a little more nervous this time. I don’t think I was nervous about the actual procedure; I had no worries about the actual delivery. I was nervous about what would happen as soon as they got Colette out. We have been watching her so closely over the past several months, and had discussed the “what ifs” that come with having such a small baby born early, but there were still a lot of unknowns. How much would she actually weigh? Would she be able to hold her temperature? What does a 4 1/2 pound baby look like? Would Corey be able to hold her right away? Would I be able to see and kiss her right away? I knew there was a very strong possibility she would need at least a short stay in the NICU.

As soon as they let Corey in the room, my nerves started to calm. No matter what, we were about to have another little one in our lives. Not long after the surgery started, I heard the sweetest little cry. The doctor held her up for me to see. I couldn’t believe how tiny she was, but she was absolutely perfect. Corey followed the nurses to check on Colette while they weighed, measured, and evaluated her. He came back and reported that she weighed 4lb 8oz, was 18.5 inches long, and to everyone’s surprise, had near perfect APGAR scores. Despite being SO little, our tiny little girl was indeed perfect.

Corey held Colette right next to me while they finished up, and before long, we were ready to go back to our room. This is when I got to kiss her head, touch her face, and see her eyes for the very first time. Because she was doing so well, they said Colette could come to the room with us, but we would have to monitor her temperature and blood sugar closely. If anything changed, they would take her to the nursery, but for now, she was staying with us. The nurse placed her on my chest and we headed back to our room.

As we got back to our room, Cullen was able to come in for just a minute to meet his new little sister. It was love at first site. Cullen had the biggest smile on his face, reached out his arms and said, “A baby! I need to hold her!” While our families waited back out in the waiting room, Corey and I spent about an hour and a half alone with our newest little one.

The next few days and nights in the hospital we focused on getting Colette to nurse, which we are still working on, and keeping her warm. After about 24 hours, she had kept her temperature up and her blood sugar up where it needed to be and she stayed in the room with us the entire time. We got very little sleep over the next couple of days, but that is mainly because I wanted to soak up every minute with our little girl.

We were all able to go home Sunday. Even though Colette was so small, she JUST fit in the car seat, she was healthy enough to go home with us without ever leaving our side. Colette’s birth was truly an answer to prayers. Throughout this entire pregnancy, our family, friends, and church have been praying for Colette. God answered each and every one of those prayers by giving us a perfectly healthy little girl.

We have been home for a couple of weeks now and things are great! Colette is a very content and easy baby. Our only issue at this point is that she is still having trouble nursing because she is so small, but we are working through that and she is eating like a champ. I remember being super stressed at this point with Cullen, but it has been completely different this time around. Maybe because we have been through so much this time already or perhaps because we have been through this part of having a newborn before.

Corey and I are in love with this little girl, and Cullen loves her just as much. We are a very happy family of four and are so blessed to have welcomed Colette into our lives!

Baby #2

Big Brother Gift

May 1, 2015
To help welcome Cullen into the new world of being a big brother, we wanted to give him a little gift at the hospital to make it a special day for him as well. Since we new he would be hanging out in the waiting room for a few hours with his grandparents, we wanted to give him some snacks, a few things to play with, and a new shirt to wear when he met his new sister.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
Cullen got to open his gift when we were all together before they took me back to the operating room. It was nice to have a moment to just focus on him before we added another little one to our family. Despite how early it was, he was so excited for the special attention. I really think giving him some new things just for him helped ease him into welcoming a new baby into his world.

Baby #2

Introducing…

April 30, 2015
Allow me to introduce Colette Marie Myers. Born 4/23/15 at 8:54 am weighing 4 lbs 8 oz and 18.5 inches long.

We are all so in love with this little girl already! She is the sweetest and most content little baby. She loves to snuggle and really only cries when she is mad (during diaper changes and baths). So far she is a great eater and sleeps great, even at night. Even Cullen is smitten with his little sister; she gets more of his attention than I do these days.
I’ll be back later to share more about her birth story and our stay in the hospital. For now, I am off to spend more time snuggling with Colette. I forgot how simply wonderful newborn snuggles are!